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The Free World - David Bezmozgis
The Free World
by: (author)
2.00 10
A New York Times Notable Book for 2011 A Globe and Mail Best Books of the Year 2011 TitleSummer, 1978. Brezhnev sits like a stone in the Kremlin, Israel and Egypt are inching towards peace, and in the bustling, polyglot streets of Rome, strange new creatures have appeared: Soviet Jews who have... show more
A New York Times Notable Book for 2011 A Globe and Mail Best Books of the Year 2011 TitleSummer, 1978. Brezhnev sits like a stone in the Kremlin, Israel and Egypt are inching towards peace, and in the bustling, polyglot streets of Rome, strange new creatures have appeared: Soviet Jews who have escaped to freedom through a crack in the Iron Curtain. Among the thousands who have landed in Italy to secure visas for new lives in the West are the members of the Krasnansky family — three generations of Russian Jews. There is Samuil, an old Communist and Red Army veteran, who reluctantly leaves the country to which he has dedicated himself body and soul; Karl, his elder son, a man eager to embrace the opportunities emigration affords; Alec, his younger son, a carefree playboy for whom life has always been a game; and Polina, Alec's new wife, who has risked the most by breaking with her old family to join this new one. Together, they will spend six months in Rome — their way station and purgatory. They will immerse themselves in the carnival of emigration, in an Italy rife with love affairs and ruthless hustles, with dislocation and nostalgia, with the promise and peril of a new life. Through the unforgettable Krasnansky family, David Bezmozgis has created an intimate portrait of a tumultuous era.Written in precise, musical prose, The Free World is a stunning debut novel, a heartfelt multigenerational saga of great historical scope and even greater human debth. Enlarging on the themes of aspiration and exile that infused his critically acclaimed first collection, Natasha and Other Stories, The Free World establishes Bezmozgis as one of our most mature and accomplished storytellers.
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Format: paperback
ISBN: 9781250002518 (1250002516)
Publisher: Picador
Pages no: 368
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Lesemanie
Lesemanie rated it
3.5 The Free World
Gelungene grenzen- und generationenübergreifende Familiengeschichte.
Stephanie's books and other things
Stephanie's books and other things rated it
0.0
I’m not putting any stars up on this book; I don’t think it’s fair since I could not go on with it. I listened to most of the audio book before I lost the will to live. I decided to give up with 3 hours left because life is short and there are so many good books out there……but I tried, I really di...
Chrissie's Books
Chrissie's Books rated it
2.0 The Free World: A Novel
NO SPOILERS!How many people do you know are real heroes? I bet not that many. So why do I want a book to have at least one or two characters that I admire? Well, the book gets kind of depressing otherwise. Why bother reading, all I have to do is turn on the television or look out my window to see th...
Wyvernfriend Reads
Wyvernfriend Reads rated it
3.0 The Free World: A Novel
The story is split between Whit and Wisty Allgood a brother and sister who live in a totalatarian state that bans almost everything, except what's approved and whats really approved is the cult of The One. The One who is The One is the head of this group and he has strange power over people. Power t...
JulieM
JulieM rated it
3.0 The Free World: A Novel
Definitely not Newbery material, but entertaining and good suspense. Lots of sarcastic teenage humor that my 11-year old loved. It feels like a sequel is coming...
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